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Mexicans back drug fight but doubt effectiveness, poll shows

June 20, 2012 | 5:15
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MEXICO CITY — Mexicans remain torn over the nation's drug war: They overwhelmingly support their government’s military-led offensive against traffickers but seem unconvinced it’s doing any good, according to the results of a new poll by the Pew Global Attitudes Project.

The poll found continued high levels of public support -- 80% -- for President Felipe Calderon’s crackdown, launched in late 2006 when he began sending thousands of troops into the streets to attack drug gangs. The figure is virtually unchanged from a Pew poll in 2009.

But fewer than half of respondents believe the campaign is yielding progress against traffickers, while nearly a third say the government is losing ground, the poll found. About 1 in 5 said they saw little change in either direction.

The survey also found many Mexicans queasy over human rights abuses by the military and police, with about three-fourths of respondents saying such violations are a big problem. Nonetheless, Mexicans listed drug-related crime as a pressing issue, alongside rights abuses.

The survey found that most residents — 61% — say the United States and Mexico share responsibility for the drug violence, a higher figure than felt that way in the 2009 poll. Since Calderon launched the offensive, more than 50,000 people have died in drug-related violence, mostly because of fighting between rival traffickers.

Calderon is nearing the end of his term and is barred by law from seeking reelection. Former Gov. Enrique Peña Nieto of the once-ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, is heavily favored to win the July 1 presidential election.

Photo: The body of one of two people killed in Acapulco on Monday. The country has been struggling with a massive crime wave in recent years, with more than 50,000 people believed to have been killed in drug-related violence since 2006. Credit: Pedro Pardo / AFP/Getty Images